Meeting the Needs of Those Living With Dementia
The world we know and experience every day is often distinctly different for older adults and individuals living with dementia and changing cognitive abilities. How they live and interact with others, the environment, technology, and activities of daily life are often in marked contrast to how they lived when they were younger or before living with dementia.
Today, an estimated 6.9 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease — the most common form of dementia. Of those individuals, about 16,400 live right here in eastern Iowa, 4,720 of which are right here in Linn County.
And, more than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care to loved ones living with dementia. These caregivers provided more than 18 billion hours of unpaid care — valued at $347 billion.
Every day, 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 in the U.S. By 2050, the total population of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to reach 82 million.
As more Americans live with dementia, the need for caregiving services, often provided by partners or children, will also increase. However, as the number of older adults is increasing, the number of children is decreasing — meaning the number of potential family caregivers is on the decline.
The need for age- and dementia-friendly services and resources is only growing, which is why it’s time to think differently about aging and dementia.
Source: Alz.org
